Musiq Soulchild was born and raised in Philadelphia and grew up with his family--including eight brothers and sister]. As a teenager, he began plans for a career in music. He released his debut album, ''Aijuswanaseing'' (read: "I Just Want to Sing"), in 2000, which was well-received by critics and audiences. Musiq did much of his own songwriting, and most of the record was produced and co-written by Ivan "Orthodox" Barias and Carvin "Ransum" Haggins, then of the A Touch of Jazz production company headed by Jazzy Jeff, now of Karma Productions. The singles "Just Friends (Sunny)", "Love", and "Girl Next Door" received exposure in America mainly on the more underground music video network, MTV2, as well as on BET. His singles also received a good amount of airplay on urban and urban contemporary radio stations.
In 2002, he released his sophomore album, ''Juslisen'' (read: "Just Listen"), as simply ''Musiq''. He had continued urban and MTV2 success with its singles, "halfcrazy" and "dontchange", the former of which was one of the most played music videos on MTV2 in the summer of 2002 and during the year overall. Both videos also got substantial play during the year on VH1 Soul. The singles had heavily amounts of airplay on both urban and urban contemporary radio sations in 2002. He also gained exposure during that year by opening concerts for Alicia Keys.
In late 2002, Musiq contributed guest vocals to "Break You Off", the first single from The Roots' ''Phrenology'' album. Once again, its video got heavy play on MTV2 and VH1 Soul, as well as on MTV Jams. He also appeared in Santana's song "Nothing at All" which is featured in his 2002 album ''Shaman''.
In 2003, the singles and videos "forthenight" and "whoknows" from his third LP, ''Soulstar''. "forthenight" was one of VH1 Soul's most played videos of 2004, and also had a very successful run on American urban radio stations.
Recently, Musiq Soulchild (who has added the "Soulchild" to his moniker again) has parted ways with Def Soul and has signed with Atlantic Records. A new Musiq Soulchild album is slated for a spring 2007 release. He will be making guest appearances on rapper Lloyd Banks's ''Rotten Apple'', Talib Kweli "Eardrum", Black Ice "The Death of Willie Lynch", pay tribute to Soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire and appear on the soundtrack "Daddy's Little Girls".
Musiq Soulchild released his debut album, Aijuswanaseing (I Just Want to Sing), in 2000, which included the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop single, "Just Friends (Sunny)". Musiq's second single, "Love", spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Musiq’s sophomore album, 2002's Juslisen (Just Listen), debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Charts and went platinum; "Halfcrazy" and "Dontchange". In 2003, Musiq released his 3rd album, Soulstar. It included the singles "Forthenight" and "Whoknows".
After a four year break and changing his management to Solqi Management and his record label to Atlantic Records, in 2007, Musiq's released his fourth album Luvanmusiq (Love and Music) which included the singles "B.U.D.D.Y.", "Teachme", and "Makeyouhappy". His fifth album OnMyRadio was released on December 2, 2008. The lead single, "Radio" has posted on both Musiq's MySpace page and official website.
Musiq Soulchild has had 2 platinum albums, 2 gold albums and 7 hit singles. He has received awards from Billboard, BET, ASCAP, BMI, and Soul Train. Musiq has also earned award nominations from MTV, American Music Awards, NAACP, and 9 Grammy nominations, including 3 for his 2007 album Luvanmusiq. Besides being a successful recording artist, Musiq is notable for his creative and unique way of titling his albums and songs by ignoring the rules of capitalization, punctuation and spelling.
He recently performed at the Antigua & Barbuda first Romantic Rhythms Music Festival in the Caribbean which was held from June 12-15,2008 which features legendary artists such as Kenny Rogers, Brian McKnight, Lionel Richie, Keyshia Cole, Maxi Priest, Destra, Heather Headly, Shaggy and many other local artist from the island including The Burning Flames.
He has also made guest appearances on rapper Lloyd Banks's album Rotten Apple, Talib Kweli's Eardrum, The Roots's Phrenology (album), Black Ice's The Death of Willie Lynch and pays tribute to soul music legends Earth Wind and Fire, appearing on the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's movie Daddy's Little Girls. And Ice Cube announced that Musiq will appear on his upcoming album, Raw Footage. He also lent a song from his latest album Luvanmusiq to the soundtrack for Perry's later movie Why Did I Get Married?. He then recorded a remake of Arrested Development's song "People Everyday" with British rapper Estelle for the soundtrack to Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns entitled "People Everyday (Metamorphosis Mix)".
Outside of music, he has been featured in television and print ads for McDonald's, Nike, Inc., Coca-Cola, Levi Strauss & Co. and The Gap. He also made a special appearance in The CW's #1 comedy The Game on Monday, October 29, 2007.
Musiq Soulchild
Musiq Lyrics
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Cats been comin' up and askin' how did I
Get to be where I'm at
With my whole style
And got the nerve to ask would I change anything about it
Say it's too lean or too crowded
But see that's just the thing
Cause that's something that I don't worry myself too much about
Since the first day that I start doin' it
Maybe fine tune it just a little but just enough
Cause I don't wanna fuck up and ruin it
I take this thing too seriously
My style is the fuckin' point of me
But see cats just don't get it
Cause niggas just always gotta find a label or some kind of cataloger
Sayin' yo this kid gotta be this
And he gotta be that
And he gotta be whatever
Yo I just gotta be whatever you want and need me to be to
Math your life better
Musiq Soulchild
That's my name
Damn what
That's me
In these lyrics, Musiq Soulchild is reflecting on many people who come up to him, asking him how he became successful and whether he would change anything about his style. He acknowledges that while some people may say his style is "too lean or too crowded," he doesn't worry too much about these criticisms because he's been doing things a certain way since the beginning. He admits that he may make small adjustments to his style over time, but nothing that would drastically change it and risk ruining it.
Musiq Soulchild takes his craft very seriously, and he believes that his style is a defining part of who he is. He notes that many people try to label or categorize him, but he doesn't care about those labels. Instead, he's willing to be whatever people want and need him to be to make their lives better. He proudly proclaims his name as "Musiq Soulchild," declaring that he won't let anyone pigeonhole him or change who he is as an artist.
Overall, these lyrics speak to the importance of staying true to oneself and one's artistic vision. Musiq Soulchild is confident in his style and unwilling to change it just to please others. He recognizes that people may try to label or box him in, but he refuses to be defined by anyone else's expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since I can remember
From my earliest memories
Cats been comin' up and askin' how did I
People have been approaching me to ask how I
Get to be where I'm at
Achieved my current level of success
With my whole style
In terms of my overall approach
And got the nerve to ask would I change anything about it
Boldly inquiring whether I would alter my approach
Say it's too lean or too crowded
Suggesting that my approach lacks substance or is too busy
But see that's just the thing
However, the reality is
Cause that's something that I don't worry myself too much about
This is not something that concerns me excessively
Cause I'm gonna do it the way that I've been doin' it
I will continue with my established approach
Since the first day that I start doin' it
From when I first started
Maybe fine tune it just a little but just enough
Perhaps make minor adjustments
Cause I don't wanna fuck up and ruin it
As I do not wish to ruin what I have created
I take this thing too seriously
I am very passionate about this
My style is the fuckin' point of me
My approach is a key part of my identity
But see cats just don't get it
However, others seem to misunderstand
Cause niggas just always gotta find a label or some kind of cataloger
As people frequently feel compelled to categorize and label things
Sayin' yo this kid gotta be this
Declaring that I must fit into a certain mold or category
And he gotta be that
Or behave in a certain way
And he gotta be whatever
Or appear however they expect
Yo I just gotta be whatever you want and need me to be to
I will strive to meet your expectations and needs
Math your life better
In order to complement your life
Musiq Soulchild
My stage name
That's my name
This is who I am
Damn what
I am confident and comfortable with myself
That's me
As this is a fundamental part of my identity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MILTON BLAND, TAALIB JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind